Glass making with Ni-rich cathode-active material NCA and phosphorus pentoxide

The fabrication of glasses utilizing Li-ion battery cathode-active material Li(Ni_0.80Co_0.15Al_0.05)O₂ (NCA) and phosphorus pentoxide is reported for the first time with the purpose of preliminarily evaluating vitrification for the management of the battery component. The materials were mixed following xNCA-(100 – x)P₂O₅ with x = 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 mol% nominal compositions and melted. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, density, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction supported glass formation in the compositional range explored. The densities first decreased within 20–25 mol% NCA and then increased up to 40 mol% NCA. Comparable trends were observed for the glass transition/crystallization temperatures which first decreased/increased and afterward increased/decreased. Vibrational spectroscopy showed features characteristic of phosphate glasses, indicating a structural evolution consistent with a turning point for 25 mol% NCA. The results are rationalized considering lithium and the transition metals act as network modifiers with nickel having a prominent role, whereas aluminum is incorporated as network former.